The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is heading for repeal

The House decided Thursday that the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy will be repealed, which formerly prevented gays from openly serving in the military.

The 234-194 vote to repeal this particular military policy will now give gays and lesbians the right to openly serve in the military without being discharged, so long as they don’t disclose their sexual orientation.

The Republican Party, however, voted strongly against this repeal. No surprise there. Statements were made by military leaders “that they need more time to study how a change in the law could affect the lives and readiness of service members,” according to Chron.

Since when does the issue of sexual orientation affect combat readiness? Troops have had over a decade to ‘adjust’ to the 1993 law.

A main fighter to keep the policy intact was Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who is the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee. He says he believes that “it’s really going to be harmful to the morale and effectiveness of our military” if gays are openly allowed to serve in the military, reports Chron.

Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa. was the chief sponsor of the repeal. He served in the Iraq War, and stated that “my team did not care whether a fellow soldier was straight or gay if they could fire their assault rifle or run a convoy down ambush alley and do their job so everyone would come home safely,” according to Chron.